


(what lies) under the cherry blossoms

by cursive



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Freeform Shamanism, M/M, misleading fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-14 10:18:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17506712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cursive/pseuds/cursive
Summary: young exorcist daniel has recurring dreams of cherry blossoms and of a mysterious boy who promises to love him.things slowly start falling into place when he meets hwang minhyun, who makes him the same promise.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> a few disclaimers:  
> 1\. people die in this. important people. you have been warned.  
> 2\. relationships are on the Slightly Fucked Up Spectrum. some delve into the Really Fucked Up Spectrum later on.  
> 3\. this is completely inspired by CLAMP's tokyo babylon but not a loyal adaptation; i did my best to adapt the exorcist family jobs to a more korean context, but i confess most of it stems from both research and a bit of my own influences as well because. i don't think i'll be able to be 100% loyal to every aspect of korean shamanism and this is fantasy rather than a 100% accurate real life adaptation.  
> 4\. im so sorry i have no idea what i'm doing having so many wips but maybe this will help me find the strength to finish them
> 
> anyway... enjoy the short intro. i'll get back to it later this week.

Going outside in _hanbok_ was still quite the task for seven-year old Euigeon, especially after it had just rained; the mud outside the shrine made it harder to walk around without getting the hem of his robes dirty, and his grandmother truly hated it when he walked back into the shrine like that. He waddled carefully towards the cherry tree, in full blossom despite it still being autumn; Euigeon had seen it from inside the shrine, during the ritual, and snuck out to have a closer look as soon as his grandmother left him unsupervised. It was hard to escape Jisung hyung’s watchful eye, but once he was out of the shrine he knew the elder would have trouble finding him. He had ten minutes at best to look into the cherry blossom mystery himself.

And he could always just enlist Jisung hyung’s help later if he _did_ get caught.

A strong scent hit his nose as he approached the tree, mixed in with the smell of rain he knew Jisung hyung liked because he would always peek outside the windows and sniff the air with a smile on his face during rainy weather. Euigeon figured it must have been the flowers; it wasn’t an unpleasant smell. It was familiarly sweet, flower-like, albeit it concealed a stronger, metallic note underneath it that Euigeon was sure he had never smelled in flowers. The tree itself looked like any other cherry tree around, if not for the out of season blossoming.

Despite his tender age, Euigeon knew nothing about that tree was ordinary.

Especially not the boy standing underneath it.

He couldn’t be much older than Daniel, standing a little taller than him, clad in overly formal dark clothes as if he had just left a funeral house, his black hair wet and sticking to his forehead. He had been there a long time, judging by the dark spots on his suit where the cherry tree could not protect him from the rain, and Euigeon figured he had to have something to do with the sudden blossoming.

Flowers grew at the boy’s feet, covering entirely the dark lump on the ground behind him just as he turned around and faced Euigeon.

The mysterious boy smiled. “You shouldn’t be here”, he said simply, sounding incredibly mature despite his childish voice.

Euigeon stepped closer, unafraid. “Did you do this?”, he asked, gesturing towards the tree and not the flowers on the ground, fascinated by how the petals fell so lightly over their heads despite the heavy rain from before. The boy nodded, turning to look at the direction Euigeon was looking, as well.

“Do you like them?”, he asked back, watching Euigeon again; the younger nodded eagerly, standing in front of him.  He crouched, his smile widening and softening his features as he got a better look at the younger.

Euigeon took the opportunity to have a better look at him, as well. He had the sharpest eyes Euigeon had ever seen in someone his age, emotionless and cold despite the upturned corners of his lips. The younger boy felt an involuntary shiver down his spine when a small, cold hand rested on his cheek.

“I shouldn’t let you go, you know?”, the boy in the suit whispered, as if sharing a secret with Euigeon. “Do you have any idea what happened here?”

Euigeon shook his head; the boy sighed and reached for the younger’s hands, taking them into his. At that moment, Euigeon felt his vision blur; the older boy whispered words into his ear but they would go unheard, lost in a strange haze amidst cherry blossoms and the pungent metallic smell that slowly started to overpower the scent of the flowers. When Euigeon vaguely registered the word _blood_ , unsure if it was the boy who said it or his own mind that provided it, the fog in his mind suddenly dissipated, leaving only the cherry blossoms and the dark-haired boy in front of him.

“—My name’s Minhyun. Let’s make a bet, Kang Euigeon-ah.”

He held onto the back of Euigeon’s hands and they instantly grew warmer under his touch.

 “If we meet again—”

Euigeon flinched; the heat on his hands was now nearly unbearable; Minhyun’s entire face slowly turned blurry at the edges.

“I will stay with you for a year and protect you—”

Something started to cut into Euigeon’s skin; he flinched, but Minhyun’s grip was relentless.

“I will love you.”

Euigeon bit back a scream. The pain was overwhelming; Minhyun pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead in a soothing gesture and he finally let out a sob.

He heard nothing else from the elder until he let go of his hands, burned and red at their backs, twin stars carved into them.

“I’ll see you soon, Euigeon.”

Euigeon blacked out.


	2. one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: mentions of suicide.
> 
> things start off a little confusing, but we'll get back to the more pressing matters as the story moves on.

The room was quiet when Daniel walked in. Behind him, a pale, trembling man followed, stopping at the doorway. Daniel took off his overcoat, mindful of the leather fingerless gloves he was wearing, and Jisung, walking in behind the scared-looking man, took it in his arms.

He closed his eyes, taking in the strange energy oozing from the room. When he opened his eyes again, he immediately zeroed in on the bed at the center. The room itself was in a wrecked state; broken bottles of perfume and cosmetics were strewn around the floor, along with crumpled clothes and other damaged personal belongings.

“This poor girl…”, Daniel muttered, frowning at the sight before him. He looked back at the man by the doorway. “What did you do to her?”

The man recoiled, as if burned by the question. “I-I did nothing! Nothing she wouldn’t want, at least.”

Jisung tuts in disapproval. “No spirit becomes this enraged for nothing, sir. She’s searching for you—We need to know what happened so we can help her.”

“You—you’re supposed to be helping _me”_ , the man retorted, voice cracking in despair.

“By helping her, we’ll help you, too”, Daniel explained, patience wearing thin as the energy grew heavier around the room. She would be drawn out soon enough. “But we need to know.”

Jisung nodded, stepping closer to the man; a faint sound of steady drumming could be heard inside the room, now. “Not that you _deserve_ the help—”

“Jisung hyung—“, Daniel admonished as the man let out an outraged gasp.

“Listen here, I’m _paying_ for your services, you should be a little more respect—”

The drums grew louder; a disembodied cry echoed through the room, joining in the cacophony of sounds that now followed the drums.

Daniel extended his arms, feet light on the floor as the dance started; the man tried to run away, but Jisung held him by the arm in a firm grip. Wind started to blow inside the room despite the closed windows; objects from all over the floor joined the whirlwind centered around Daniel, whose graceful dance remained unaffected by the ruckus.

Flashes of a woman lying on the bed appeared and disappeared amidst the ceremony, her face distorted in agony, human and monster-like at the same time. The man screamed in horror as her dark hair fell over her mangled face and she wailed in grief; Daniel stopped in front of her, kneeling by the bed to take her into his embrace.

The ceiling lamp broke, showering Daniel in the shards; Jisung tensed, but stood in place, grip still firm on the horrified man.

“He can’t hurt you anymore”, he whispered to the woman, going unheard by both Jisung and the man as disembodied music grew relentless. His words were meant for her only. “No one will hurt you anymore.”

He held onto her, whispering soothing words of consolation, taking on her relentless lashing out. A few moments later, and just as suddenly as the whirlwind had started, it ended; flying objects dropped soundlessly on the floor, leaving the room in an even worse state than before. Light blinded the three men momentarily; by the time it faded, Daniel was standing next to the bed, where a beautiful, dark-haired woman, sat on.

She had a grateful smile on her face as she looked at Daniel. He offered her a gloved hand, which she took with both of hers.

Her whispered _thank you_ , smothered by the drums, was meant for Daniel’s ears only. He uttered a prayer, watching her form slowly disappear into thin air.

As the ritual drew to a close, the sound of drums grew fainter; soon enough, only the breathless gasps from the man could be heard in the room. Jisung let go of his arm, walking towards Daniel just when his knees threatened to give out under him.

“You did well”, the elder praised him, looping his arm over his shoulders to support him. “C’mon, let’s go home.”

They turned around, making their way out of the destroyed room. The man blocked their way out, distraught and angered.

“Wait”, he said, gesturing towards the room. “Who’s gonna clean it up? Who’s gonna pay for the damage?”

Jisung drew in a sharp, indignant breath, but Daniel was quicker to react.

“Sir”, the younger said, deceptively calm. “Our job was to purify your room from evil spirits. What they do to your room – what they do to _you_ – is of your responsibility only.”

The man blanched, faltering when Jisung quietly pushed him aside and left the room with Daniel in tow. “B-But—”

“What happened to her”, Daniel continued, barely able to conceal his anger, “what you _did_ to her—we are not here to judge, but know this:”

Pulling away from Jisung, he turned to fully face the man, towering him. Daniel knew the power he carried in his wide frame, and knew how to use it to intimidate others.

Which did not mean he _liked_ what he was doing. He felt no satisfaction in the way the man cowered, backed up against the wall, the horrors of that night and some more etched to his face as he looked up at Daniel in fear.

“I only accepted this job—I only finished the ritual—to help relieve _her_ pain. This was never for your convenience.”

He walked away, supported by Jisung.

“Have a good night, sir.”

 

 

 

“Are you serious?”, the black-haired man sitting in front of him asked, his small, plump mouth shaped like an _o_ as he stared at Daniel in awe. “The apparition was actually a woman he had hurt before?”

“It happens sometimes”, Daniel explained, idly toying with the pen on his hands. “Usually you find an angry ancestor or an old spirit haunting the house itself. Sometimes it’s someone you wronged when they were still alive.”

The brunette hummed in thought. “So your client was an idol who took a fan home and—“ He paused, pressing his lips together.

“And _used_ her for his own pleasure”, Daniel completed his sentence for him, face glum. “There’s no other word for it, really. He gave her false hopes of a relationship and love, then—when he got _bored_ … He discarded her and told her she meant nothing to him.”

“And this is why she put an end to her life?”, the man asked, tilting his head to try to meet Daniel’s eyes.

Daniel shook his head, eyes cast downwards. “Not only for that, for other reasons, too. It’s never just one thing – you learn that pretty quickly when you find these people wandering among the living on a daily basis.

“When she told me her story”, Daniel continued, “I wanted to stop the service and never look at that guy’s face again. I didn’t want to help him after I’d learned what he did to her.” He looked up, eyes meeting the other man’s for the first time during their conversation. “Am I a bad person for not wanting to help someone like him, Minhyun hyung?”

Minhyun smiled, reaching out to hold Daniel’s hand between his, thumbs idly pressing against the leather glove he wore in a soothing manner. “You’ll find people like this all over this city, Daniel.” His voice was always so soft despite his words; Daniel liked it the most about his _sunbae_. “When people have power over others, they’re very likely to abuse it for their own gain, rather than use it to help others. You are one of the few exceptions—and, like you said yourself, your intent never was to _help him_.

“You did it for that girl’s sake”, he concluded, “spirits that stay in this world suffer because they can’t move on, right? You put an end to her suffering, and that’s what matters.”

Daniel stared down at their entwined hands, fighting back a blush from Minhyun’s words. “You’re really quick to pick up on things, hyung”, he muttered bashfully, letting Minhyun briefly intertwine their fingers before letting go of his hand. “When we first met—I was so sure you’d think my job is _weird_ —”

“He understands you well, Daniel”, Jisung chimed in from Minhyun’s side of the table, not looking up from his book to see Daniel furiously blushing at his statement. “It helps that you also saved his life the first time you guys met.”

“Well, he wasn’t in any real life-threatening danger that time, really”, Daniel retorted sheepishly.

Minhyun shrugged. “I’m still thankful you saved me.” He then looked at Jisung. “And I do know a few things about spirits and exorcism, too, hyung”, he added, ignoring Jisung’s surprised stare to look away. “Family knowledge.”

“How didn’t you tell us that before?” The elder protested, but Minhyun only shrugged again. Resigned that it would be the only answer Minhyun would give him in that moment, Jisung sighed and turned to Daniel. “See? It’s in his family, too. You’re perfect for each other.” His stare hardened. “Yet you refuse to accept his feelings and go out with him—”

“ _Hyung!_ ”, Daniel nearly shouts, earning another glare from the librarian, who had been watching them with a less than pleasant expression for a while, already. “Don’t say things like that.”

“It’s okay”, Minhyun smiled before turning his attention back to his books. “I understand Daniel’s reasons, and I don’t like him less for that.”

The younger frowned, giving Minhyun a strange look. “You’re too nice to me, hyung.”

Minhyun simply laughed quietly at Daniel’s words, holding back a giggle when Jisung decided he’d had enough of them.

“Alright, this is cute and all, but Daniel, I thought you had an exam to study for?”

Daniel pouted at the eldest, plopping his head down on the table in frustration, ignoring both Jisung’s and Minhyun’s disapproving grunts. “I do”, he whined, “but I’m sooo tired. I ended up taking on another small service before going home—”

“Then it serves you right for overworking yourself”, Minhyun stated matter-of-factly, focus back on his studies rather than on Daniel. The youngest whined louder, finally forcing him to look up, if only to avoid having the librarian kick them out for the noise. “You can’t keep on pulling all-nighters like this, Daniel, it’s not healthy.”

“I take back what I said about you being nice”, Daniel pouted, tilting his head upwards to glare at Minhyun. “You’re really mean to me.” Minhyun raised an eyebrow at his statement. “And here I thought you _liked_ me!”

“I do like you”, Minhyun retorted, letting go of his pen to adjust his glasses. “That’s why I’m upset whenever you get hurt. Even when you’re the one hurting yourself.”

Daniel blinked, surprised by the sincerity in the elder’s words. Fighting back a creeping blush, he lifted his head to lay it on his hands, staring at Minhyun in earnest. “Hyung, I—"

From Minhyun’s side of the table, Jisung intervened. “Minhyun has a point. You do need sleep.”

“I also need to review content for midterms”, Daniel deadpanned back. “ _And_ work weird hours because the spiritual world has no sense of time or something.”

Jisung sighed. “I told you it would be tough to conciliate school and work, but you insisted. And you have another call tonight.”

Daniel perked up in surprise. “Tonight? I thought I’d have Wednesdays off—”

“It’s an important call”, Jisung explained, smiling apologetically at the younger. “Your mother was personally requested for this one, but since she’s no longer coming to Seoul for these calls, she’s sending you instead.”

The youngest blanched. “Oh, no. I’m gonna have to stay up all night, aren’t I.”

“Well”, Jisung tried to console him, “the fastest you find whatever wandering spirit that’s been loitering around Namsan Tower, the fastest we can go home.”

“ _Namsan Tower?_ I’ll never _leave_ that place, then.”

“Oh, come on, you’re better than this”, the eldest scoffed. “You’ll be there early. Before closing hours.”

Minhyun looked up again, giving Daniel a small smile. “I’m sure you’ll do well, Daniel. We can have dinner together some other day, it’s okay.”

Daniel shot up at Minhyun’s words. “Oh, no, I forgot I promised I’d treat you for dinner tonight, hyung—”

Jisung perked up in interest. “Dinner, huh? Is that a date I wasn’t informed about—”

“ _No_ , I was just gonna treat hyung to samgyetang tonight because he’s always treating us and I thought it’d be nice to spend sometime outside school or the clinic.”

“That’s cute.” Jisung’s teasing was often relentless when it came to Daniel’s and Minhyun’s relationship, and it was no different that day, much to Daniel’s chagrin. “Maybe he could go there with you, if he wants.”

“ _Hyung_!” The librarian finally shushed them loudly as a last warning when Daniel protested. “He can’t go with me. We’re not supposed to bring outsiders along to these jobs—”

“It’s a simple exorcism, nothing too scary”, Jisung reassured him, waving him off. “I’m sure Minhyun has seen worse from the first time you’ve met. What do you say, Minhyunie?”

Minhyun hummed in thought; the other two watched him intently, waiting for his answer.

“I’m not opposed to that”, He shrugged. ”If Daniel wants me to, I’ll go with him.”

“We could be there all night long, hyung”, the youngest warned him hesitantly. “Don’t you have a morning shift in the clinic tomorrow?”

“I do—” He let out a quiet laugh when Daniel frowned at him. “That’s a little hypocritical of me to join you on your all-nighters when I just scolded you for them, though, right?”

“Yeah, that was really mean” the younger retorted, with no real bite to his words. “But I… I wouldn’t mind the company.”

Jisung scoffed, watching the duo blush and awkwardly look away with small smiles on their faces. “Glad I won’t be third wheeling tonight, at least.”

Before their awkward, giggly silence could get worse, Daniel looked curiously at Jisung. “Aren’t you coming this time, hyung?”

“No.” The elder grabbed his phone, taking a glance at the display clock before turning his attention back to Daniel. “I have to run a few errands for grandma in the city.”

“Oh. I guess one of us would have to do them, eventually.”

“I’m sparing you, this time”, the elder reassured him, closing down his books and putting them inside his bag. “I gotta go now.” He turned to look at Minhyun. “Make sure he finishes his work quickly and goes to bed early, right?”

Minhyun nodded. “I’ll do my best, hyung.”

Long after Jisung had left, and they had fallen silent enough to no longer draw the angry librarian’s attention, Minhyun nudged at Daniel’s hand with his pen. Daniel looked up, drowsy, lips curling into a lazy grin that mirrored Minhyun’s more enthusiastic one.

“Thank you for letting me go with you tonight”, he whispered. “I like watching you work.”

Daniel blinked, slightly confused. “You only watched me once… It’s not as fun as you make it sound.”

“It can be fun at times”, was Minhyun’s reply; Daniel blinked in slight confusion. “They do have fascinating stories to tell, if you’re willing to listen.”

Daniel blinked once, twice more, staring dazedly at his friend until he could formulate a response. “What do you mean, hyung?”

The brunette never answered, too engrossed in his studies again to pay any attention to Daniel.

 

 

 

_“Do you know why cherry blossoms are pink, Euigeon-ah?”_

_Euigeon gathered the falling petals in his hands, holding them close to his chest. He shook his head, watching as a pristine white flower gently landed on the older boy’s shoulder._

_“Cherry blossoms are usually white.” The boy took the flower into his hands, cradling it. “Pure white, like fresh snow._

_“Would you like to know,”_

_Gradually, the white flower in the mysterious boy’s hands turned pink. Euigeon could only watch the boy gently let it go to rejoin the gentle breeze caressing their skin and the tree._

_“what makes them pink?”_

_Without thinking much, Euigeon nodded, the petals in his hands slowly blowing away._

_The boy offered his hand._

_“Follow me. I’ll show you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first part of the chapter was taken from the first chapter of tokyo babylon. not word by word, of course, but the story is heavily inspired in subaru's first job shown in the manga. ~~cynicism about the situation was left out because our hokuto half-counterpart didn't show up yet.~~

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from motojiro kajii's [under the cherry blossoms](http://intranslation.brooklynrail.org/japanese/under-the-cherry-blossoms).


End file.
